Die Young
by pochapal
Summary: It's one thing to see a kid die before your eyes, to watch the life drain from their eyes. It's another thing to get inside their head, and see their final thoughts before they die young. (A collection of death one-shots for each significant death within the GONE series - if I miss anyone, let me know!)
1. Fire Girl

Where is Mommy?

She was here a little while ago, and was making pasta; my favourite food. And then she went away. I even called the police like Mommy told me to if something scary happened. The police weren't there. Everybody isn't here.

A black cloud floats in front of me, and I start to cough. My stomach starts to hurt, and I fall over. The falling causes me to be sick. A yellow puddle is on the floor, and I start coughing again, more sick coming from my mouth. My face lands in the puddle, and I start to cry, like I always do when I'm like this. And because I know Mommy will come when I cry.

I stay on the floor for a long time, but Mommy never comes; only the black cloud that makes me feel bad. I begin to feel scared; what if Mommy isn't coming? No, Mommy will come; she always does!

"Mommy!" I scream, shaking. "Mommy!" Mommy still isn't here. Maybe she's asleep? That's where she normally is when she doesn't come. I stand up, and stay away from the bad cloud; I don't want to be sick again.

The black cloud is covering the doorways that go to the kitchen, Mommy's bedroom, and the outside hallway. I have to go through the cloud to get to Mommy. But I'll be okay, because Mommy will be there, ready to make me feel better.

A scary beeping sound suddenly reaches me, and I look up at the roof, and see the fire alarm is flashing and beeping. Mommy always said that that meant that there was a fire. I scream; fires are bad things that kill people. More of the black cloud fills the room, and I see that it isn't a cloud. It's smoke coming from a fire.

"_Mommy!_" I scream again, scared. "_Mommy!_" Mommy has to be here; she can't leave me! The fire will get me and kill me! Maybe that's why Mommy isn't here; maybe the fire got her. No, that can't happen. Mommies can't die. "Mommy!"

I take a deep breath as I start to cry, and a lot of smoke goes into my mouth. I start coughing again, and fall over. But no sick comes out this time. That's good. I try to stand up again, and just as I do, the door breaks open, and someone comes in. Terrified, I push my hands out, hoping that this strange person doesn't hurt me. Just hoping that I don't die, and that I find Mommy again.

Fire comes out of my hands, and I scream. But it doesn't hurt me at all. It cuts through the smoke, and I see a big boy looking at me, his hands pointing at me. Green light comes out of them, and I start to scream.

It's a silly thing to do, because when the light touches me, I'm not in the burning house any more. I'm curled up in Mommy's arms, falling asleep.


	2. Bette

I can't feel the left side of my body.

I know that it's such an odd thing to say, but it's true; half of my body has gone numb, as if it's no longer there. I can't move my left arm, or leg. My left eye won't blink. And yet, somehow, I managed to make it to Dahra Baidoo. She'll save me, I just know it.

But when Dahra sees me, she lets out a scream, and drops her medical book to the floor. What's wrong with me? I want to ask, but nothing comes from my mouth; it's as if my body's forgotten how to speak. A heavy feeling sinks into my chest; that can't be a good thing.

Dahra's frantically moving me around, but I'm not really aware of it. I think I catch sight of Mary and one of the littles, but I'm not too sure. Everything goes blurry for a moment, but I force myself to keep conscious. I'm rewarded with the feel of blood trickling down the right side of my face. Oh god, what if I'm dying?

If I am... my brother! He needs someone to look after him; I can't leave him alone in this crazy world. My right eye focuses on Dahra, who's gone deathly pale. Just beside her is Elwood, who looks like he's going to throw up. Not good at all. But I can't let their reactions distract me; I need to make sure my brother will be fine if I die, which seems to be likely. I'm caught off guard by tears dripping down my face. I never meant for this to happen; I was just helping keep the scared and confused kids happy by showing them the light that came from my hands. It had only started happening within the past day, but it was so wonderful that I had to show everyone.

And then came Orc with his baseball bat and the pain. So much pain. And Sam, looking helplessly as I fell to the ground. So much pain...

Mary walks into my line of sight, confirming my earlier suspicions that she is indeed here. And if she's here, I can ask her to look after my brother. I take a deep breath, and open my mouth.

"Mm buh er," is what it comes out like. All three of them don't seem to understand me. A wave of weakness takes over my body, and I begin to panic. I don't have long. "Tah care mm il buh er..." I say again, and Mary glances at me for just a moment. I see a look cross her face, and I know she understands.

I let out a deep sigh, and allow the darkness to consume me, the world around me fading away, happy in the knowledge that my brother will be just fine.


	3. Chunk

It's dark out, and I can hear the distant sounds of howling coyotes, but I steel my nerves, taking a deep breath. It's my turn to go check on Caine; he's been in and out of consciousness since he got back from the mineshaft. Nobody knows what happened to him there, but whatever it was, it sure did screw him over.

Holding the tray with half a bottle of water and a can of beans - food is in short supply now - I walk out of the main Coates building, and head out to the cabin where we sort of left Caine after he blew a hole in the wall of the boys' dormitory. Ha, that was kind of funny. Especially the horrified look on Penny's face as she hit the ground to avoid being crushed. And the look on Drake's face? Priceless. Not that I'll tell him how terrified he looked or anything; I would like to keep my skin whip-free, thank you very much.

I don't see the rock on the floor, and end up tripping over, crashing to the ground. The tray lands in front of me, the water bottle still intact, but the can of beans is rolling down the hill. Panic grips me. If Caine doesn't get his food...

I dart down the hill, and leap for the can, grabbing it in my hands. But it's not enough to stop the forward momentum, and I continue to roll down the hill, crashing into a tree. I let out a groan of pain, surveying the damage. My knees have been scraped badly, and I've managed to cut my arm on something along the way. Blood drips from it onto the paved road beneath me. But at least the can is still fine.

"The things I do for these guys," I say with a heavy sigh, and climb the hill again, my legs hurting with every step. But I grit my teeth, and continue upwards, reaching the dropped tray. I place the can of beans back on the tray, and pick it up, finishing my journey to the cabin.

The wooden door is open slightly, and I can see the faint light from inside the cabin. Perhaps Caine's finally woken up from his crazed state.

"Caine?" I say, pushing open the door, and stepping inside. "I brought food for you and - oh Jesus!"

Caine is standing in the doorway, wearing only his underwear. His eyes lack any emotion, except for exhaustion. His once tanned skin is now a deathly pale, and he's become painfully thin.

"Hungry," he mumbles. "Hungry in the dark. Hungry in the dark. Hungry in the dark!"

"Uh, Caine?" I say. "You all right?"

"It needs to be fed," he lifts his head up, glaring straight at me. "The Gaiaphage needs to be fed! It hungers in the dark, and its hunger is my hunger!" I feel my heart beating in terror as I look at Caine, frozen. He's lost it, gone crazy. And then, he lifts his hands up, palms facing towards me.

"Oh no," I say, dropping the tray as I back off. "No nonononono. Caine, you can't do this. Caine!" But it's too late. Caine flicks his wrists, and I'm lifted up into the air. Another flick, and I'm flying through the air.

I barely catch a glimpse of the wall before it's all over.


	4. EZ

_Somebody once told me, the world is gonna roll me, I ain't the sharpest tool in the shed..._

I silently mouth the words to the song as the Jeep bounces along the rough desert road, the unforgiving sun beating down on my head, the only reminder that the world isn't as it used to be. Music is one of the few things that helps me to forget. Before the FAYZ came, I was never a big music fan; I've never even owned an iPod. But something about music seems to take my mind away from the horrors of reality, and most importantly, the constant, gnawing hunger in my stomach. I don't even know whose iPod this is, but their tase in music isn't too bad. In fact, some of the songs are actually quite catchy. And besides, it's not as if I can just download the latest songs from the internet any more, is it?

The Jeep pulls to a stop, and Sam leaps out from the vehicle. He's talking with Albert and Edilio about something, but I can't tell what. Instead, I glance over at the field behind them, and my jaw drops. No way. It can't be. The entire field is full of lettuce, something that I would normally turn my nose up at, but after living off of some canned slop for a month, fresh vegetables is a godsend.

"Hey. That looks like lettuce," I tell them, pulling one of my earbuds out. But my hopes are shot down somewhat when it's soon made clear it's just cabbage. But fresh cabbage is still better than canned slop. And just looking at them is driving my stomach crazy. I need to eat something, anything that isn't the same menial slime that we've all been forced to eat.

"Who's going to pick all these?" Sam asks, looking up thoughtfully. This is it; my chance to get some fresh food. Another stab of hunger. It seems my stomach's made up its mind.

"Hey, I'll go grab one of these cabbages right now. I'm starving." It's the honest truth; I've lost so much weight since we ran out of good food. I no longer have any of what Mom always called baby fat; I'm as slim as Sam and the others. Which would be kind of good if we were all still in the normal world, instead of _here_.

I stick the earbud back in, and hum to myself as I walk through the field of cabbages, searching thoroughly for a truly delicious looking one.

_It's a cool place, and they say it gets colder. You're bundled up now, wait 'til you get older..._

One misplaced step ends up crushing a cabbage, and I sigh in frustration. It was a pretty good looking cabbage as well. Oh well, there's bound to be another good one out here somewhere.

"Totally just a ballpark guess," I hear Albert say as I continue onwards, the weakness from the hunger evident as my legs begin to ache slightly, "but figure each cabbage weighs a pound and a half, right? I'm thinking we have ourselves maybe thirty thousand pounds of cabbage." Whoa. That's a lot of cabbage.

"I don't even want to think about how many farts this'll translate to," I call back to them, and catch the faintest hint of a smile on Sam's face. Hell yeah, you still got the humorous touch, E.Z.

_Somebody once asked, could I spare some change for gas: I need to get myself away from this place..._

My legs ache even further, and I look down, hoping to see a half-decent cabbage. My efforts are rewarded with one huge, ripe cabbage. I have to physically restrain myself from drooling as I look over the cabbage.

"This looks like the cabbage for me," I say, looking back at the others.

"How can you tell?" Edilio calls back to me. Or something to that extent; the music kinda makes it hard to hear people.

"I'm tired of walking," I reply bluntly, feeling the strain in my legs. "This must be the right one." And then another question comes into my head. "How do I pick it?"

"Man, I think you need a knife," Edilio says with a shrug, giving me a look that translates to, 'I don't really know, to be honest'. But I doubt that. And even if it is the case, I won't let it get in the way of my cabbage.

"Nah." I call back, and bend down. I grip the cabbage with both hands, and pull upwards. The result is a large leaf in each hand.

"See what I mean," Edilio says, but I shrug it off. I need to get that cabbage, knife or not. My right hand goes to the iPod, and I turn the music up to max volume, before bending down once more, gripping the underside of the cabbage, my stomach lurching with hunger.

_So much to do, so much to see, so what's wrong with taking the back streets..._

The pain is instantaneous, and so sudden that I fall backwards onto the hard dirt below me.

"Ah!" I scream as another sharp wave of pain hits my right hand.

"Not so easy, is it?" I hear Edilio mock, but I don't care about that. The pain in my hand is too much. I leap to my feet, and look at my right hand. In the corner is a gaping, bloody hole where flesh once was, jagged edges lining the wound as blood spurts from it. Something bit me.

"No, no, no." This isn't good at all. Fear is rising rapidly inside of me as I glare at the injury, something about it setting alarm bells off in my mind, telling me to get out of here as fast as I can.

"What's the matter?" Sam's now noticed me, and I turn to show my hand in response.

"Something bit me!" I scream. "Oh, oh. It hurts. It hurts. It -"

And then something bursts from my left leg; a huge, black snake. It leaps from my flesh, and into the dirt, just before blood begins to leak from the agonising hole in my leg. Incohesive cries of horror come from my mouth as I look at Sam, willing for him to save me. But before any of that happens something, no, many somethings, suddenly rush up at my feet. They tear through my shoes easily, and then they tear into my feet. Into my flesh. The squirming of the worms inside my body makes me squeal in terror. They squirm all throughout my body; my arm starts jerking violently. And still more climb into my feet.

"They're in my feet!" I scream at the others. "Oh god, they're in my feet!"

_Hey now, you're a rock star: get the show on, get paid..._

The squirming and the agony causes me to loose control of my body as I fall to my knees. I look up at Sam pleadingly as the worms begin to burst from my body. Something explodes from my throat, and I stop screaming as I'm slowly coated in my own blood.

"Help me," I try and say, but my voice is a whisper. "Sam, please..." And then, my vision begins to fade, my body going numb.

_And all that glitters is gold, and only shooting stars break the mould._

I slump to the ground, but by the time my face, the worms erupting from it, hits the dirt, I'm gone.


	5. Harry

The mere sight of the large Lego design fills me with joy; I've been working on it on and off for the past month now, in between going out for food and helping out at the day-care. I'm not the best at anything, really, but Mary admires my positive attitude that I have towards the kids; a change from the misery given off by the others.

I place one more brick on top of the design, and stand back. It's a large city model, complete with everything from malls to skyscrapers. The sprawling plastic metropolis sprawls out over the dining room, continually fuelled by donations given by hungry kids in exchange for some food; there's some slime in a tin stockpiled in the kitchen of whoever owned this house before the FAYZ. We've all tried eating it, but for some reason, we'll just end up vomiting it straight back up. The other kids, though, they absolutely adore the stuff. So in exchange for the slime, we get any precious scraps of food they can spare, or old toys that haunt them with too many memories. One kid, a small Hispanic girl, actually brought us a bag of pot that she found in her brother's closet. We had no idea what to do with it, so Zil took it outside, and burned it in the backyard. Which had the unfortunate consequence of simulating a barbecue. Several confused, hungry kids quickly tried to come for non-existent meat. Our supply of slime decreased by nearly half that day to satisfy them.

"Beef!" The sound of Zil's voice reaches me, and I groan, sliding my glasses up my face. Another argument. Most likely involving Hunter; there's been a constant air of tension between us all since he became a mutant. He has the power to microwave anything with his hands. Which could be useful, if there was any meat to be found. But enough reminiscing over meat; I might as well see what the big deal is this time.

I step into the living room, and see Hunter and Zil standing there, both glaring at each other.

"What's going on?" I ask, and see both of them look at me for just a moment before returning their gaze to each other.

"Moof boy here stole something from my room," Zil says, pointing an accusing finger at Hunter.

"You're lying," Hunter snaps in retaliation, a look of anger crossing his normally calm features. "And don't be calling me names like that." He looks coldly at Zil.

"Moof?" Zil raises his hands and eyebrows in faux shock before returning to his vicious stance. "You're a mutant freak. Why shouldn't I call you that?" He sneers at Hunter, seeming to enjoy tormenting the poor boy; it's not as if Hunter prayed for powers or anything. It just happened, like the adults disappearing, and the FAYZ barrier appearing.

"What's going on?" I ask again, my voice sounding more anxious than I would like it to be. So much for playing peace-maker. But neither of them pays attention to me, too caught up in their own conflict to notice or care.

"Give it back," Zil says to Hunter. "Give it back."

"You stupid moron," Hunter takes a defensive step forward. "I don't even know what you're talking about!"

"The jerky," Zil says, his eyes wide with fury. Instantly my heart catches in my chest. Zil had jerky? And didn't tell us? And didn't share? It takes all of my self-control to stop myself from yelling at Zil myself. "You called me jerk-wad. And then you said 'beef'. So stop trying to be clever," the words are flying furiously from Zil's mouth. "You know exactly what it was because _you_ stole it. I had a piece of beef jerky."

"That's what this is about?" Hunter exclaims, almost seeming disgusted over the issue at hand. "First off, why were you holding out on us, man? I thought we shared -"

"Shut up, you mutant freak of nature," Zil says with an extremely dangerous edge, taking an offensive step towards Hunter. "I don't share anything with _you_. I might share with humans, but not with _chuds_." The word 'chud' leaves Zil's mouth as if it's venom on his tongue. He takes another step forward, balling his fists.

There have been several close calls in the past, but just looking at this situation tells me that unless I intervene, there will be physical violence involved. And theft or not, I don't want either of my friends getting hurt.

"Step back, Zil," Hunter says with a warning tone in his voice.

"Shut your fat mutant face, you subhuman chud freak," Zil replies, glaring bitterly at Hunter. He takes another step forward. Do something, Harry. Come on! My brain is telling me to move, but my body is frozen in fear.

"Last chance," Hunter warns, his expression uneasy. But Zil doesn't appear to falter, and takes half a step forward, before suddenly spinning around, grabbing the poker from the fireplace. I feel the colour drain from my cheeks. Oh god, please, no...

My legs finally decide to move, and I dart forward as Hunter leaps back from the poker, avoiding the blow, and lifts his hands up, palms facing outwards. I barely have time to realise what this means before the pain in my neck.

It's an intense, swelling knot that feels like it's turning my blood to lava. I scream in horror, my hands flying to my neck, trying to stop the agony. I spin around, and look at Hunter, who's gone into a state of shock. His pale face is the last thing I see before everything goes dark. I feel my glasses slide off of my face, and a vague feeling of falling.

My last thought is that I failed as a friend to keep the peace.


	6. Duck Zhang

Up is the direction that I move. Up, and up, and up, up above the seething green mass of crystals that calls itself the Gaiaphage. I swallow hard. Time to play hero.

My weight shifts from being as light as a feather to the mass of a mountain as I drill towards the Gaiaphage. The first contact with the crystals sends them crawling through every orifice, but it's too late to pull out now; I'm falling too fast.

Keep it under control, Duck, I tell myself, you can do this. Play the hero. Save them all.

The crystals are in my eyes and mouth and ears and nose. I can't breathe, I can't do anything except fall. The pain is nothing like I've ever felt before, but I still keep falling. It's too much; I need to get out of here somehow, perhaps fall faster than the Gaiaphage, escape it. If I could breathe, I would laugh at that ridiculous idea; this is my fate now, to fall to the centre of the Earth, and take this monster with me. My mind is taken over by memories, and I stop feeling pain, just the sensation of falling. Kind of like the first time at the pool a few days back.

* * *

_"Happy birthday, sweetie!" Mom says, smiling happily as she takes a picture of me. I'm holding onto the pony for dear life, trying to ignore the fear. It's a long way to fall if I let go, even for a moment. I have to get off._

_"I want off!" I yell, but Mom and Dad are too busy talking with the other grown-ups at my party. The other boys and girls are playing on the bounce house, and I'm alone in this situation. "Easy, girl," I try and say, but I'm too shaky. The pony ignores me, and keeps trotting around the back yard._

_The bounce house suddenly bursts. The loud sound freaks out the pony; she lets out a whine of terror, and bucks violently, sending me flying off of her back. I hit the floor with a sharp thud, and everything goes black._

* * *

Strange how that memory's returned to the surface, but it's still a pleasant childhood memory. What a fifth birthday that was. I pile through a sharp rock, and drift out of reality again.

* * *

_There it sits. On the top shelf of the fridge. Looking delicious._

_I glance around nervously, and reach into the fridge, grabbing my midnight feast. I set the pie on the table, and grab a fork, sitting down. Taking a piece out of the pie, I place it in my mouth. Sweet apples and sugar explode on my tongue, and I shudder in delight. I take another mouthful. Then another. And another._

_Ten minutes later, and the entire pie is gone, my stomach is full, and I'm extremely satisfied. I know Mom's gonna kill me in the morning, but right now, who cares?_

* * *

A smile comes to my face at that memory. No TV for a week, but man, was it worth it. I still recall the delicious taste of the apple pie in my mouth; so sweet, so... My stomach lurches in longing for the apple pie, but there is nothing I can do but -

A sharp agony all throughout my body. The crystals crawl off of me, vanishing from sight. I open my eyes, and see that I'm laying on a pearly grey floor. My entire body burns, and I feel weak and faint. Yet somehow, I manage to laugh. I guess I'm not falling through to China after all.

I cough up blood, and it pools on my chest. My head falls against the barrier floor, and a smile crosses my face.

Well, I guess I always did want to be a hero.


	7. Panda

I can't take it any more. The hunger, the darkness, the despair... I just want out. Out of here. Out of Coates. Out of the FAYZ. My stomach is one continual ball of pain, and I'm painfully thin; it's been months since I've had anything sustainable to eat. And with each passing day I come to regret my choices; I honestly regret joining Caine and the others. But there is no way for me to get out of here; Caine would either kill me, or ensure that I never try to betray him again. The only good thing is that he's no Drake; we've all heard the horror stories of what he did to Sam in the power plant that day. Thank god he's dead and gone.

The sound of shuffling feet reaches my ears, and I look up to see Penny walking through the doorway, carrying a bundle of sticks. Bug appears out of nowhere as well, holding a lighter. The sticks are dumped on the floor, and quickly set alight. This is all we have for light now; the power plant incident killed all electricity within the FAYZ. And it's kind of funny how watching cartoons can take your mind off of the hunger for just a moment. But here in the cold and dark, hunger is my only friend.

"This'll maybe last an hour or so," Penny says, pointing to the slowly burning pile. "I would have gotten more, but this is all that I could carry. If only the cars still had gas..."

"And if only there was no barrier cutting us off from the adults," Bug adds, crouching in front of the flames.

"Or maybe even some food," I say hopefully. "Nothing too fancy, but something good and simple. Like pizza, you know?" They both nod longingly at the thought. Back before the FAYZ, pizza was a thing that was eaten nearly on a daily basis. Now, given the choice, I would rather have a pizza than the clothes on my back.

"Hey," Penny says. "I don't know if you'll like me or hate me for this, but..." She closes her eyes, and flexes her hands so her palms face outwards. And then, in my hands, is a slice of pizza. A genuine, honest to god slice of pizza.

"No way..." I say, staring hungrily at the food.

"It's not real," Penny explains. "So it won't give you any actual nutritional value, but it will taste and feel like pizza."

"How did you do this?" Bug asks, his hands positioned to look as if he's holding something. "Wait. Do you have the power?"

"Yeah," Penny says. "I've had it for a while now."

"And Caine never found out?" I ask.

"No," she replies. "When Diana read me, I used my power to make her see my power level as zero bars."

"And she bought it?"

"Hey, how real is that pizza to you?" she shoots back. I return my attention to the pizza in my hands. The warmth of the pizza is taking the chill from my hands, and the smell of the melted cheese... Oh my god.

I stuff the entire slice in my mouth at once, chewing on the slice of pizza, not caring that it's not real. The flavour of it explodes in my mouth, and I begin to cry as I swallow, the warmth of the food settling into my stomach.

"Oh man, Penny, you really outdid yourself." Bug says, also swallowing something. Penny lets out a wry grin, and clenches her fists. The warmth and the fullness and the taste of the pizza vanishes, as if it never happened. It didn't, but Penny's power made it feel so real.

"I know it's not actually feeding any of us, but it serves as a form of distraction," she lets out a chuckle. "Look how low we've sunken: relying on my illusions for any form of satisfaction. It's pathetic, this life we're living. If we can even call it a life."

"Hey, it's better than being dead though," Bug says. "If we survive this, then we might get back to the real world, and see our families again. We could escape this hell."

"That's one reunion I don't want to have," Penny says darkly. "My father killed himself in prison and last I heard my mother's wallowing in a cesspool of poverty, self loathing, and booze. Oh, and the reason I'm here at Coates? I poured bleach down the throat of the bitch that happens to be my sister."

"Sounds like a delightful family," Bug says flatly.

"Yeah," Penny replies dryly. "Just like those happy functional families portrayed on TV. In fact, my family's a perfect role model for aspiring parents." A mixture of a laugh and a sob comes from her lips. "And the sad thing? This, the FAYZ, has been the happiest time of my life: no parents, no older relatives, and no pathetic siblings. Moving from one circle of hell to another."

I'm not aware of it at first, but sobs are coming from my lips as I stare into the flames. I'm also shaking.

"Hey, Panda," Bug says. "You okay dude?"

"I can't do this," I say, feeling my weakened resolve crumble. "I can't do this any more. I need to get out of here."

"And go where?" Penny says. "There are only two ways out of here, Panda. The first is poofing, which I don't think you're close to. How old are you, anyway?"

"Thirteen," I reply, the knowledge deeply ingrained into my brain.

"So yeah, unless you want to wait two years, that's not an option," Penny says. "The only other way out of here is death, which I know nobody is ready for."

We remain in silence for a while after that, watching as the fire begins to die out. Inside my head, one thought persists in being there: how hard would it truly be to die? If it's quick enough, then I wouldn't even feel it. But what could do that? The answer hits me right away: the cars outside. Without meaning to, I stand up, leaving the fire behind me as I walk to the doorway.

"Panda," Bug says. "Panda, what are you doing?" He runs up to me, and places a hand on my shoulder.

"I can't take any more of this, Bug!" I yell at him, my voice trembling. "I'm done with this whole survival thing, okay? I have no other choice..."

"What's going on?" Penny asks, rushing towards us. But I ignore her, pushing Bug away from me. I break into a run, heading out into the night, sobs causing me to shake.

The first car I find is a small green one. It's out of gas, but it's perched on top of a hill; all it needs is one push, and then it'll be all over.

"Panda!" Bug's cries are frantic. "Don't do this!" I don't care any more, though; whatever will to live I had is completely gone. I open the driver's seat, and press on the side of the car, pushing forwards. It takes a lot of pushing, but it finally begins to roll down the hill. I leap inside the car, not even bothering to shut the door.

Bug and Penny are distant to me as I speed down the steep hill, the night concealing whatever is ahead of me. But if I remember, there's a sheer cliff-like drop at the bottom of the hill. The car bounces on a rock, and I shut my eyes, oddly unafraid. This is my way out.

A sudden jerking forwards, followed by the sensation of falling. I've broken the fence, and the car is plummeting to the ground. I faintly hear Penny's cry of horror before feeling a dull thud. And I've finally escaped the hell that I've been trapped in for the past few months.


	8. Orsay Pettijohn

It's slightly cold out tonight, and a mild chill penetrates my bones as I sit on the sand, the moon high in the sky, coating everything in a silver glow. Behind me is the barrier, its pearly grey light not helping with the deep darkness that surrounds me, caused by the cliff obstructing the moonlight. I wanted to be more in the open, but Nerezza insisted that we remain in the shadows.

I look over to the cliff, and see a pair of bright green eyes staring at me. Nerezza. I still find it unnerving how her eyes do that; Nerezza continually tells me that it's just her power, and nothing more. Although, I've never seen anyone with a power have it on at all times, and judging from what little purpose it serves, I would say she's what Diana would call a one-bar mutant. But there's something about her that makes her seem more foreboding than the other kids in Perdido Beach.

"Prophetess," Nerezza says suddenly, emerging from the shadows. "There are some kids coming up to the beach."

"Okay then," I say with a heavy heart, taking a deep breath, preparing myself to touch the barrier, to reach into the dreams of those on the other side; something that happened to my power after reaching into the dreams of the Gaiaphage. I shudder at the memory of that. "How many?"

"About four or five," she says. "Less than usual. I wonder where the rest of them are?"

"Maybe we've seen more people that you realise," I say, hoping that Nerezza doesn't try and round up more kids to come see me like she did last week. That poor girl looked so terrified.

"Wait a minute," Nerezza says, glaring over at the group of kids. "What are they doing?"

"What do you mean?" I ask, also glancing over at the kids. They've stopped walking toward us, and are instead running back to Perdido Beach. I look over there, and see a faint orange glow: fire. "Oh my."

"Fire!" Jill appears from the darkness of the cliff, looking worried.

"We can see that, Siren," Nerezza says coolly, seeming to not care.

"But what if people get hurt?"  
"Not our problem," Nerezza sighs. "It's their own fault for being incompetent."

"Excuse me?" I suddenly say with an anger I wasn't aware I had. "Half of these people have been to us, and told us their experiences, and their deepest secrets! And you just expect us to sit here?!"

"I'm not going to waste my time saving pathetic lives," she spits.

"Fine," I say. "Then I'm not going to waste _my _time looking into the dreams of the parents of those pathetic lives." I cross my arms, trying to look angry. But the cold look on Nerezza's face tells me I've gone one step too far with that remark. "I'm sorry. I'm just -"

"Silence," she snaps, before turning to Jill. "Siren, go to sleep: this doesn't concern you." Jill looks at us with wide eyes, until Nerezza slaps her around the face. Hard. "Don't talk back; just do what I say." Jill lets out a whimper, and makes a hasty retreat to the cliff.

"Hey, that was low," I begin, but Nerezza cuts me off, jabbing me in the ribs.

"And you," she says in a dangerous tone. "What makes you think you have the right to defy _me_?! I am the only reason your pathetic existence even has any purpose in the first place!"

"Screw you," I yell, seething with anger. "Like I care you! You're just some boring kid who can make her eyes glow in the dark; how important." My fists are clenched and I realise that my voice must be carrying, but I don't care. "All you are is some mysterious girl who came out from the woodwork to exploit me. Yeah, you heard right; like I'm some carnival freak you can make a quick buck from."

"If you value your life," Nerezza hisses, "then you'd best shut your mouth right now."

"I'm not scared of yo -"

I try to continue, but I'm cut off by Nerezza wrapping her olive hands around my throat. I can't even breathe as I struggle against her stronger grip. But it's futile, and all I can do is wince in agony as Nerezza slams my entire body against the barrier.

"I don't need you," Nerezza says in a low voice, her face burning with rage. "You are nothing in the long run. Me? I am the Gaiaphage, and nothing can stop me. Nothing can kill me. You? Right now, you're slowly dying. And guess what, Prophetess, I'm _liking _it." My eyes bulge as the information sinks in. Nerezza is the horrific creature from the mines whose dream I looked into. The most dangerous thing in the FAYZ. And even now, whilst I have the prime opportunity to strike back, I'm too weak. Too pathetic.

A single tear rolls down my face as my vision begins to blur, Nerezza grins triumphantly. I stop feeling the intense burning of the barrier, and the last thing I hear in my life is Jill's terrified wailing.


	9. Antoine

Smoke is in the air, in my eyes, mouth, and nose. But right now, I couldn't care about any of that; all I care about is the gaping wound in my side caused by Sam. Sam Temple. The main chud freak. He did this to me. I let out a cry of pain as a small speck of soot touches the painful wound. The others don't seem to care, though.

"Man up," Hank spits at me, as if to emphasise my point. For some reason, this infuriates me; I'm just as big a part of the Human Crew as him, and now that I'm hurt, I suddenly don't matter?!

"Are you crazy?!" I yell at him. "I have a hole in me! A hole in me!" Another searing wave of pain cripples me, and I scream. "Oh god. It hurts so bad!"

But Hank's left me, standing with Zil and Lance. Ignoring me, as if my wound has turned me into a moof or something. Like I'm nothing. A thought comes to me: was I ever worth anything to them? I was always the follower, never the leader. Never truly important. And now, as I lay on the roadside, crippled, I realise just how worthless I truly am. Or maybe it's just that we can't think of a way to heal me without getting Lana involved. I find it odd how she's the only freak we don't label as such, but I suppose she's one we can't afford to kill. At least not until we have total control of the town. But I don't care about any of that right now; I just need the pain to go away.

"Take me to Lana," I say to nobody in particular. Not that it matters, since nobody's listening to me. "You guys have to take me to Lana!" My voice is louder this time, but it doesn't make a difference. They're all just staring at the fire.

"Think we got Sam?" Lance suddenly says, looking at the members of the Human Crew that surround him. Not me. Tears roll down my face, dripping onto the pavement below.

"Should we go back and get more gas?" Turk suggests, also ignoring me. A crushing feeling is welling up in my chest; do I really mean that little?

Zil's ignoring everything that we're saying, off in some sort of trance. He's not there; something's bothering him.

"Leader, we need to know what to do," Turk says, more pressingly this time. I can think of something they can do; stop me from dying. Another fierce flare of pain.

"Help me," I say. "We gotta stick together, don't we?" Nothing. "Don't we?!" I repeat, my voice breaking, a sob coming from my mouth. They won't abandon me, will they?

"Antoine," Hank says to me. "You'd better shut your mouth," he leans in dangerously close. "Or I'll shut it for you."

I feel my resolve shatter. Hank just waved me off like that. But that's just Hank. Not Zil, or Lance, or someone important.

"He burned a hole in me!" I yell. "Look at it! Look at it!" Hank and Zil exchange an awkward glance, before Hank returns to me.

"Come on, Antoine," he says. "Come with me."

"What?!" I reply. "What are you..." Then it hits me. I must have overstepped some line. "I'll be good. It's just that it hurts, man. It hurts so, so much." I'm practically pleading to Hank, but I don't care: I need to free of the pain.

"Dude, come on," Hank says airily. "I'll get you to Lana, man. Just come on."

"Really?" I ask. Hank nods, before lifting me to my feet. But the moment I'm standing, the burn wound flares in agony. I stifle a roar of pain.

With Hank supporting me, I hobble down the road, towards the beach, towards Clifftop, where the pain will be over with. However, we stop for a moment near a cliff, and Hank looks at me coldly.

"Sorry, man," he says, not even looking at me. "But you're not gonna make it. You're just dead weight to us."

"What?" I say, my eyes widening. Hank doesn't reply, instead letting go of me. I topple sideways, falling off the cliff.

Time slows down for a moment, and I have just enough time to conjure up one word before it's all over: betrayal.


	10. Hank

I'm clenching my gun tightly as I look out to the marina. Lance is right beside me, Zil just behind. Ahead of us is Caine and his group, boarding a couple of the boats, looking smug as ever. And even though they have nothing to do with the chaos, we can kill them all, blame the fire on them, and walk away from this as heroes.

"Hank, what are you waiting for?!" Lance yells. "They're in prime position: take them out!" I don't need telling again, and I lift my gun, and fire. A deafening explosion sounds out, and the force of the gun blows me back to the floor. Luckily we're on sand, so it doesn't hurt as much as it would normally. I climb to my feet, and look over. The Zodiac has been hit. The boat with Caine on it. I smile triumphantly: let's see the moof get out of here without a boat. Lance lets out a chuckle, and Zil remains silent. He's clearly running through various scenarios, trying to find out the best way to blame this on those at Coates.

A stream of smoke comes from the bullet hole in the boat. I fire again, hitting the stern. It begins to sink away from the boat, and catches the attention of Caine. Ha, took him long enough. He has just enough time to shoot us a look of surprise and rage before he topples into the water, flailing like a madman.

"Hell yeah!" I cry. "The Human Crew reigns supreme!" Lance gives me a high five, and Zil is looking at the whole scene, bewildered. It's almost as if he's regretting this somewhat. I shake my head; that can't be it. Zil isn't one to back down. He didn't back down when we lost 'Toine, and he won't back down now.

I look at Zil again, and raise an eyebrow. He's gone from being stoically expressionless to looking horrified. His mouth is open slightly, and his eyes are wide. I look over at Lance, and see a similar expression. Except Lance is pointing at something behind me. An awful feeling begins to build up inside me, and I look over at the sinking Zodiac, and let out a scream.

Caine. Levitating above the water. His eyes burning with fury, his gaze directed straight at me. I feel the colour drain from my cheeks, and take a step back. But then Caine flexes his palm, and the gun flies from my hand. And then, I'm soaring through the air, up into a cloud of smoke. I can see the flames of Perdido Beach from here, and the ocean below. I don't stop rising, and I begin to spin in the air, going higher, higher, and higher. I begin to scream in panic: Caine's gonna kill me. He's gonna kill me! Unless Zil somehow manages to explain this.

"Zil!" I scream, knowing it's futile. "Anyone! Help me!"

My cries go unanswered, at least for a moment. But then I stop rising, and for a moment I'm suspended in mid-air. And just as I look at the beach, I begin to plummet downwards. I'm moving so fast that my mouth won't form words; all I can do is look at the water below in sheer terror. The force of the movement is pushing my face backwards, and my hair is flying about.

I hit the water. I hear a splash. I feel agony for a split second. And then I feel nothing.


	11. Zil

Sheer chaos. That is what I'm seeing. That is what Nerezza promised. Kids running, screaming, fearing us. Fearing the Human Crew. Normal and chud alike are running from us. We have complete power over them. And I am the new ruler of Perdido Beach.

A kid runs past me; he's a fat thing with curled brown hair. I recall that he's a chud; he can change the colour of anything just by touching it. Not human. Not deserving to live. I raise my shotgun, and fire.

BLAM!

The kid falls to the ground, a smoking bloody hole in his torso. Another freak down. A girl runs up to him, sobbing. I lift my shotgun, about to wipe out the moof supporter, when I see it. Coming up the road. A tornado of floating debris. Immediately I know who it is; everyone in the FAYZ knows who that is. The fat black dyke bitch: Dekka.

"Get her!" I call to those around me. "Get the freak!" A couple of them leave whoever they were chasing alone, and head towards her. I fire another shot at the tornado, and turn and run: no time to see if I hit. It's not worth risking my life.

I've nearly made it down the road when something rushes towards me. Clutching my shotgun, I turn around, and see the massive pillar that can only be created by Dekka. The tornado stops, and Dekka runs out from the cloud of dust, murder in her eyes. But I'm ready for her. As she draws within close range, I swing my shotgun at her. The butt slams into her head. But it does nothing to her. Which means I need to get back, and shoot her: let's see her keep going with a bullet in her skull.

But as I back up, Dekka grips my ear. Hard. Tears prick my eyes as she pulls me in, glaring viciously at me. But I'm not scared; I see an opportunity. I lift the shotgun up, ramming the barrel into her chin. We both exchange a glance for one second before I press the trigger. But just as the explosive bullet erupts from it, she pulls her head back. The bullet sails harmlessly past her. My eyes go wide. No... that was supposed to work!

Almost smirking, Dekka points her hands to the ground. And we begin to float, higher and higher. the dust and debris swirl around us, blocking out the rest of the world. It's just us, locked in combat. She seems distracted for a brief second; I use this opportunity to pull away. But she's still got a powerful grip on my ear, and half of it is torn off as I pull away. The searing agony instantly takes over as blood dribbles down my face, but I can't show weakness. I look hard at her, trying to find the best way to attack when she punches me right on the nose. A pounding throb pulsates throughout my face, and a stream of blood from my nostrils joins my ear's blood. She punches again, but without gravity, she misses, and spins away from me.

I grip onto my shotgun, and try to turn and face her, finding myself in a similar position. But I manage to do it, and have the barrel pointed right at her. Ha! Victory for the Human Crew! In retaliation, Dekka begins to kick. She manages to connect with my thigh. More pain floods through my body, but I don't let it stop me. I keep the gun aimed at her, and notice the distance. We're about ten feet apart from each other. Still enough distance for one shot to kill her. My finger flies to the trigger, and I grin triumphantly. I've done it. Dekka lets out a strange chuckle as I prepare to end her life.

"Look down, genius," she says viciously. Confused, I look down. All I see is a swirling mess of dust. Then it hits me. "Shoot me, and _you_ fall."

"Filthy freak!" I yell at her. She's bluffing; we're probably not that high up. I'll kill her, and get back to conquering Perdido Beach. Glaring at her, I pull the trigger.

The bullet flies out. I don't have time to see if it connects, because I'm blown back. Out of the tornado. One glance tells me all I need to know: I'm probably about 300 feet above Perdido Beach. And falling right towards it.

I let go of my shotgun, and cover my face with my hands, screaming. There is no point in trying to save myself; how can you get out of falling to your death. The ground is drawing up. Fast. I close my eyes, and for a split second, think of my family. Wherever they are. Would they be happy with this? What would they say if they could see me?

And then the dirt rushes up to me and everything stops.


End file.
